Playing connect-the-dots among web service applications and data is not an easy task. Picking up where SaaS leaves off in terms of integration and interactivity is the relatively new, platform-as-a-service (PaaS) model. Bungee Labs, a young PaaS vendor, aims to remedy the disparate struggle by integrating silo CRM applications with other web-based business solutions and third party data.

Bungee Labs seeks to deliver on the promises of Software as a Service in ways of ease of use and cost efficiency. With its announcement of Bungee Connect, the vendor provides an on demand solution for the entire life cycle of a business. Today the company announced CRM reference examples with providers Oracle CRM On Demand, NetSuite and SalesForce.com.

The Bungee Connect PaaS produces rich applications use interfaces similar to many desktop applications. With Bungee, instead of touching on 20 to 25 different company solutions, a business can see and monitor the entire environment in one integrated solution, according to Lyle Ball, vice president of Bungee marketing. "We are doing for the software, what CRM did for sales and marketing," Ball says. "Instead of having an on premise or local database, developers now find the entire environment on demand."

Jeffrey Kaplan, managing director of SaaS consultancy THINKstrategies, says that there has been a noticeable drift from point solutions to platforms. "The new trend is the advent of cloud computing, visible with companies as diverse as Amazon, IMB and Bungee Labs," he says. "The on demand development departments are not only aimed at SMBs but are also being used by enterprise developers."

Ball says that Connect is ideal for both the small to midsize business and the enterprise. The pay-as-you-go pricing is attractive for small businesses with a limited IT budget. The enterprise benefits from an infrastructure that's elastic. Money is not wasted on extra bandwidth and licenses. Users of Bungee Connect pay only for the resources consumed.

Ball continually emphasizes Bungee's focus on the whole life cycle of a business. "The key is that we are not beholden or connected to any one industry or solution. We are a neutral space in the cloud," he points out.

However neutral it may be, Bungee Labs expresses the importance of integration with CRM systems. Bungee Connect can be used with any CRM application, according to the Ball. With the announcement of integration with Oracle CRM On Demand, NetSuite and Salesforce.com, the company is proving to prospective users how simple collaboration really is. Bungee says to expect additional CRM reference announcements to be made in the near future.

"Although Bungee Labs is a relatively new player with limited market recognition, it has a solid understanding of the changing technical requirements and preferences of ISVs and other software developers," says Kaplan. "And given the low risk associated with experimenting with its capabilities, ISVs and other developers can try Bungee Labs' capabilities."

Salesforce.com's Soapbox Is the PlatformAt Dreamforce '07, AppExchange says hello to its younger, bigger sister: Force.com, touted as "platform-as-a-service"; the family also welcomes a cousin: Visualforce, hailed as "user-interface-as-a-service."